1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to electric ovens for both baking and broiling foods, and particularly to ovens capable of broiling food on both sides simultaneously.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Most electric ranges having combined baking and broiling ovens. In such ovens, food may either be baked using a lower baking element at full wattage and an upper broiling element at one-quarter wattage, or food may be broiled using only the upper broiling element at full wattage. One disadvantage in such broiling operations is that the food must be turned over midway in the operation so both top and bottom sides are broiled.
Prior attempts have been made to perform two-sided broiling. The Filipak U.S. Pat. No. 3,270,660 describes a baking and broiling oven with a top broiling element and a bottom plug-in baking element. An additional plug receptacle is mounted in the back wall of the oven liner near the mid-height thereof so the lower baking element may be unplugged from the lower receptacle and assembled in the intermediate plug receptacle to provide two-sided broiling. A modification in this patent suggests the use of a third heating element to be used with the intermediate plug receptacle to serve as a lower broiling element.
Another prior art patent is Kramer U.S. Pat. No. 3,522,414, which is assigned to the present assignee. This Kramer patent describes a baking and broiling oven with standard upper broiling element and lower baking element. There is a third heating element provided with terminal means pivotally mounted to the opposite side walls of the oven liner so this third heating element may be stored in an inoperative vertical position against the rear wall of the oven liner, or this third element may be raised to a horizontal position to serve as a lower broiling element of a two-sided broiling system.
The principal object of the present invention is to provide a combined baking and broiling oven with a two-sided broiling feature while using only two heating elements and no additional plug receptacles.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a baking and broiling oven of the class described wherein the lower baking element is convertible into a second broiling element without using an additional plug receptacle.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a two-sided broiling system without requiring additional heating elements or separate supporting means for the lower broiling element so as not to complicate the cooking utensil storage problem that exists in the kitchen.